


Dreams of a Friend

by KlixAndSpaesis



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universes, Dolls, F/M, Gen, Loneliness, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prospit, Prospit dreaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 05:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3434687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KlixAndSpaesis/pseuds/KlixAndSpaesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Could you come with me? I’m scared."<br/>The red grub held out his claw and put it in her hand, grumbling, “Alright, alright. Just because I’m taking your hand doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to our long lasting, beautiful friendship, I’m taking your hand because we might as well get this over with.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams of a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Damn! Sorry about that guys, Dip here reporting to duty from that really long and unwarned hiatus!  
> I'll explain this later but in short, I'ma gonna bounce around a little bit here and there, so just bear with he highly sporadic updates!
> 
> GLUB!

“G’pa! G’pa Jake!” Jade screeched as she tumbled out of her bedroom, stumbling over the wooden floor and nearly face planting into the carpet before a hand snaked out and caught her before she fell. “Jade? What’s wrong?” Jade looked up tearfully at the kindly face looking down at her from the armchair, reading glasses perched on a slightly crooked nose, framing forest green eyes shaded by bushy grey eyebrows. “G’pa, the monster under the bed is coming again!” His eyebrow arched quizzically and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “Oho, is that so?” He closed the book on his lap and set it aside on the small coffee table beside him and leisurely stood up, a slow series of cracks accompanying his action. Jade danced on the spot, switching from foot to foot as if she needed to go to the bathroom, “C’mon G’pa! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! He’s gonna eat all my friends!” at this Jake’s eyes widened dramatically and he hurriedly reached for his guns hanging above the TV and slowly approached her bedroom door. She quietly padded after him, clutching a tangle buddy to her chest anxiously. Jake peered around the corner then quickly snapped his head back. He turned to her, panicked, “He’s got them! He’s holding them hostage under the bed!” Jade screamed and began to cry a little until Jake patted her head lightly, “its okay, Jade, I’m going to get him good. Sit tight and he will be no more!” Jade sniffled and watched her Granfather leap around the corner and charge into the room, yelling a battle cry as he threw himself in. There was a loud thump and a bang. Terrified, she peeked around the corner and found her Granpa laying in a pile of puppets and dolls. He held up a thumbs-up and grinned weakly. “He’s been done in.” She cheered and ran in the room, throwing herself at her grandpa in a cub-hug. He laughed and patted her head, “Let’s get you to bed.”

“No!”

“What? Jade, its way past your bedtime by now, are you saying you don’t feel sleepy?”

“No!” She was giggling now.

“Did you not want me to chase away all the monsters?”

“No!”

“Do you want a bedtime story?”

“No!”

“Oh! I know! How about- Tickle tackle!”

He leaped at her and she tried to dodge, but he grabbed her in his arms and tickled her sides until she was screaming with laughter. He plopped down on her bed with a soft squeak of the bed frame, and he let her lay on his chest for a while, letting her listen to his heartbeat. She crossed her arms and rested her chin on them, “G’pa, I wanna sleep with Karkat.” She pointed to the top of the shelf, an area she couldn’t reach but somehow always got her toys up there.

“Is that it?” Jake looked up at her from his position, glancing down and putting up a small argument, “ He’s angry all the time.”

“No he isn’t!” Jade pouted, before turning a pitying gaze on the small, red plushie on the shelf, peeking down at them, “He’s just…scared.”

“If you say so, Jade.” He grunted as he got off the bed and started cleaning up her play mat, now decorated with dolls and grubs of different colours. Jake picked up the candy red one and gave it to her. The grub had a grey face and its eyebrows turned down in a frown, the mouth set in a snarl and black wavy locks of hair surrounded small, blunt, orange horns on its head. Jade squealed and hugged the red grub to her chest. Jake allowed himself a smile at her sleeping form as he finished stuffing the dolls back in their places. “Good night Jade.” He planted a light kiss on her forehead and walked out of the room, turning out the lights and quietly closing the door behind him.

= = = > 12 am

The night is quiet. Inside, everything is still. The light outside the house flickers. The clock rings, a haunting sound, signaling the time. Inside Jade’s room, the play mat begins to glow in a golden light, brightening the room. The dolls begin to twitch. Jade clutches Karkat to her chest tightly, and mumbles in her sleep. The dolls assemble around the bed and raise their hands and respective claws, and put them over their respective heart areas. The golden light envelops the room then dies. The room is empty. The bed is made. The shelves are bare. The play mat is clean. The time is 12 am.

= = > Jade, wake.

Jade woke up and stared at the unfamiliar gold ceiling in puzzlement. What am I doing in a golden room? She sat up and looked around and found that the entire room was gilded in gold and marble swirls. Something small and red caught her attention; it was huddled in the corner of the room, shaking, in the shadows, so Jade couldn’t see its face. “Hello?” she said uncertainly, getting up and walked over slowly, ploddingly. She was wearing a golden dress with a strange collar; a yellow moon was on her chest. As she neared, she could see it trembling violently, and she could hear panicked breaths accompanied with murmurs, “Not here, not here, please not here. Let this be a dream…”

“Hello? Who are you?”

The thing turned sharply and Jade caught the flash of yellow eyes, pupils dilated with fear. It was one of her stuffed toy grubs. Or rather, a life-sized, in the flesh grub. A red body with six legs sprouting from the hard shell, the face, she couldn’t quite see, but as she stepped closer, “Karkat?” The grub made a series of chirps and squeaks, which Jade thought was kind of cute, but Karkat was obviously afraid right now, so she dropped down to a squat and held out her hand. “It’s okay Karkat, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Her voice was soothing and calm, a slight smile on her face, “All the monsters are gone, G’pa chased them away,” the grub had stopped whimpering, and was quietly listening to her talk, “you don’t have to worry anymore,” Karkat edged out of the shadows slightly and slowly reached out a trembling claw, “So don’t cry. There’s nothing to be so scared of.” Karkat took her hand and emerged from the shadows, revealing bright red eyes and a grey face streaked with red tears. He sniffled and made a cross between a hiccupping sound and a croak and she smiled wider, “Don’t worry Karkat!” She walked him out of the corner and they sat on her bed, now stained a bright gold instead of pale sky blue, and she they sat in silence for a while. “Why were you crying? Were you sad?” The grub glanced at her and lightly squeezed her hand in its claws, “I wasn’t sad, I just couldn’t believe what was happening. I was…”

“…Scared?”

“Yeah.”The grubs voice was rough, but laced with chirrups and trills. The grub continued, “This is a dangerous place, Jade. We can’t sit here and talk.”

“Where are we?”

“Prospit.” The grub spat the word out as if it were disgusting, “A world set in gold. A trap. We need to get out. Or you’ll die.”

Jade was starting to get frightened. Karkat had said this so bluntly, so sharply, as though he’d been here thousands of times. “But how?! Can’t I just wake up?”

“You can’t. That’s why it’s a trap. You have to find the gate,” The grub crawled off the bed and started drawing a glowing red circle on floor with its claw, scratching a pattern into the gold floor and filled it with circles and curves, forming an articulate flower. Jade stared at it for a while then gasped slightly, “That looks like the poster on my wall.” The circle glowed and pulsed with red fire, before spluttering and going out, the flames dying and returning to a dark, iron grey of ash and cooled metal. Karkat looked away from the circle and gave her a long look that was expressionless, but slightly sad. “You need to get out.”

“No!” She stood up suddenly and crossed her arms defiantly. “What?” The grub skittered and gathered itself on four legs, letting it stand slightly upright. He was still smaller than her, but he did look a whole deal lot bigger. It was also kind of adorable to see his two front claws waving about in a stressed manner. “Do you know what you’re saying right now? You’ll die!”

She looked away and clasped her hands, pouting slightly, “I don’t know where to go and… I’m scared.”

The grub looked surprised, and then dropped down on all six with a sigh, “It takes a lot of guts and pride to admit when you need something. But-“ “Pleaase?” she begged, holding out her hand to the grub. Karkat looked up, the ever present scowl on his face, then groaned, while smacking a claw on his forehead and reached out a claw, “Alright, alright,” He placed a claw in her hand, “. Just because I’m taking your hand doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to a long lasting, beautiful friendship, I’m taking your hand because we might as well get this over with.” She smiled and gripped his claw tightly. Together, they faced the door, now opened, and with a glance at each other and a slight nod, they walked towards the door. It turned out, her bedroom was positioned atop a large tower, her room being placed in a large, bulbous, onion like structure with a single window looking out into the world of Prospit-tiered roofs and tall buildings overlooking Prospit’s second moon, shackled to the ground of gold with a large, thick chain. It would move against the chain, groaning as it was forced into movement from invisible currents in the sky, but all that could be felt was gentle pulls and vibrations on the ground.

The streets were quiet and empty, not a soul to be seen on the empty roads and series of stairs and mazes, it was almost driving Jade crazy. The sky was black and empty, not a single star in the sky, the buildings glowed with a brilliance so bright it was almost blinding, but somehow, the glare was dull. Their footsteps echoed slightly in the empty city. There was no sound, just the small patter of bare feet and claws scrabbling across pale marble stone.

Jade looked around wonderingly, staring at stark white posters which held no words, much less a picture on it. There were houses, neat and well kept, flower boxes filled to bursting with Crocus’, but they were white and pale yellows, long, stringy green leaves hanging out the sides. Clothes hung from wash lines, bright, beautiful shades of pink and baby blues, stockings, stylish winter hats and gold banners with the yellow moon of Prospit imprinted on them fluttered over empty streets. That was perhaps the most unsettling thing about the place, Jade thought, everything was empty, as if everyone had just up and left without warning. Karkat seemed not to be troubled by this, he was calmly skittering over the paved marble roads with practiced ease. “Karkat, where are we now?” Karkat looked at her, slightly puzzled, and then shook his head, seeming just as lost as she was when she looked into his eyes. “As what I can see, we’re just walking.” Jade was quiet. Karkat looked a little bigger now, like, he was bulging a bit, but his claw was still in her hand, comfortably fitting in her palm and between her fingers. She looked away quickly, swallowing her question because her grandpa told her that it was rude to stare at someone for too long.

They stopped for a rest at a bench in an empty square, simply sitting in silence. She could see the sky from here in its full glory, pitch black darkness which frightened her as well as comforted her. Colourful banners of blue, pink and white flags lay stretched across from light pole to light pole, coloured paper cut like confetti lay strewn about on the white brick ground, stalls set up at the sides, food cooking and sending wafts of sweet candied apple, cotton candy, and other delicious foods her way. Fireworks set up and a large bonfire burning silently in the middle of the square, casting enchanting shadows of people dancing, leaping, twirling, but they were gone when Jade stared at them for too long. It looked for all the world like a celebration of some sort had been set up which no one had attended. There was a strange hollow feeling to the atmosphere, empty and silent, abandoned. Jade rocked back and forth on the seat, twiddling her thumbs and anxious to get moving. Being surrounded by people she couldn’t see made her intensely uncomfortable. Also, the silence was stifling. There was hardly a sound in the lonely, quiet world of Prospit.

Karkat was silent, his head drooping occasionally as if he was falling asleep. “Hey,” His voice was barely a whisper, she turned eagerly, the silence was killing her! Grandpa would sometimes play the quiet game with her, but he always ended up falling asleep on the armchair with a soft snore on his face. “Jade, can, you go on without me?” She gasped and shook her head, “I can’t leave without you! I don’t know where to go!” Karkat made a wheezing noise and slowly turned, the movement was obviously a great effort, “Derse. Right…now, I-“His sentence cut off and he suddenly stiffened, eyes going wide before falling shut and a cracking noise filling the empty space around them, like the dull sound of ice breaking. Everything was silent. Everything was too still. Jade began to cry, “Don’t leave me alone, Karkat! I need you!” The grub did not move. It was as if he’d been struck with a sudden, dreamless sleep, which froze him in place. Jade did what every instinct told her to do. Cry.

She sat on the bench and cried her eyes out, breaking out into heavy hiccups and sobs which resounded through the empty streets. The bonfire burned on steadily, the invisible people never ceased their endless dance to an unheard beat and music, coloured paper and flags lay still, undisturbed. And through all that, Jade cried. Cried for the endless silence and the empty sky, the abandoned streets and unseen people, how very alone she felt and Karkat’s stillness. She was so very alone. But as all crying was, it had to stop eventually. Eventually her hiccups died down to soft sniffles, which silently went away and soon Jade was kicking her feet glumly above the ground, letting the swing in the air above the ground. Karkat was still so quiet. Fine! Tears giving away to anger, Jade huffed and turned away from the frozen grub. If that the game he wanted to play then fine! She puffed out her cheeks and purposefully sat with her back to him. Jade crossed her arms and pretended to ignore him, but the game was boring after an hour (It was really only a few seconds) so she got down from the bench and picked up the coloured paper from the ground, collecting it into her skirt. Once she deemed she had a reasonable amount of confetti gathered into her skirt, she balled it up and waddled over to where the frozen grub was, with its eyes still staying stubbornly closed. Jade talked to Karkat as she came over, slowly, so the rustling in her skirt was hidden. “Guess what Karkat! I found something cool!” once she got close enough, she flung up her skirt, showering the grub and the previously clean area with glimmering, shimmering, rustling pieces of rainbow and sparkles. The papers fluttered and twisted in the air, their moment of glory was only for a moment, their bodies falling to the ground soundlessly. Jade laughed as the papers went up, standing under the stream of papers and spinning, but still Karkat made no sound, he barely even twitched.

Not to be deterred, Jade grabbed a couple more handfuls of the paper, running about and scattering them over the ground, playing a silent game by herself. The grub was still. She ventured around the empty square, looking into the brightly lit stalls, toys and games stood silently and patiently, alluring lights seen by no one but the small little girl in gold pajama’s and large round glasses. Jade peeked over the stall selling the candied apples, and found, to her delight, that two had been placed at the edge of the friendly wooden bench, just inside her reach and she happily took them. Surely Karkat would wake up with this! She brought the sweet to her sleeping friend, placing the stick into his hand, forcing his little grubby claws to hold the item. Still, the grub slept on, moving not an inch. Jade plopped down next to him and halfheartedly chewed on her apple, the sweet cloying taste of caramel, only slightly burnt, and the sour, appetizing taste of the apple, slightly on the green side under all the caramel.

Why wasn’t he moving yet?

A shimmering movement caught her eye and she plodded towards the thousands of spinning pinwheels in the non-existent wind. She stood entranced by their endlessly spinning shapes, and was pleasantly surprised to see a basket of them at her feet, shining a rainbow-y sheen off clear plastic in a myriad of colours. Karkat would love these! She gathered the large basket into her arms and half ran, half tumbled towards the bench littered with confetti. It took time, but Grandpa Jake had taught her to be a patient little girl, and patient she was- placing every little pinwheel all over the bench, stuffing the sticks into nooks and crannies on the wood and metal armrests. The last one, she tucked it into Karkat’s other claw, and when she took a step back to admire her work with triumph. A shadow danced past her, and the pinwheels flickered with life, spinning and creating little squeaks and creaks, playing a haunting sound that filled the Prospitian air with music. They reflected the light of the silent fire in bright flashes and burst of orange and yellow. Above, the flags rustled, giving Jade another idea. She bounced off, listening to the sound of the pinwheels singing fade slightly as she gathered flags, conveniently scattered on the ground a little ways off. With two handfuls of rustling flags, Jade pranced about with them, holding them high over her head and letting the flags flutter noiselessly in the air. Leaping and trying to spin in the air like the shadows on the ground did so gracefully. The dark flickering shapes moved apart so Jade’s shadow joined them, hopping and bouncing and trying not to trip over herself. She went full circle, dancing with the unseen people joyfully, sometimes she felt the brush of a body or the breath of a laugh, but there was no one there.

And she was just a little girl all alone.

Karkat had still not risen, much less moved and inch. The non-spinning pinwheel was still clutched in his claw, the candied apple in the other. Confetti danced in his hair as the other pinwheels sang their lonely wordless song. Jade fought the tears and gripped the flags tightly in her little fists. “Look what I found!” She said brightly, a tear leaking out of her eye, and triumphantly held up the rainbow flags. No reaction. Her breath hitched. Jade quickly decorated the bench with flags, now swaying in the invisible wind. One was carefully placed into Karkat’s claw, the one with the still pinwheel. No reaction. Jade rubbed at her eyes furiously and quickly ran off in search of more things that Karkat might like. Maybe he wasn’t happy! She thought enthusiastically as she fetched brightly coloured balloons.

Perhaps he’d wake up when she got the thing he wanted! She said aloud as she gathered white rose petals from a basket.

Possibly it was not a candied apple he wanted but cotton candy? Jade wondered as she found the two items placed at the edge of the stall again.

Maybe he liked ribbons?

Streamers?

Marbles?

Toys?

A banner?

All these things she brought and presented to the stone-cold grub. It was almost as if there was a miniature festival going on at the bench itself.

And a funeral.

Jade sat down in front of Karkat, crossed her legs and put her head on her hands, elbows on knees. A drop of water stained the gold pajama’s a darker hue. “Are you happy Karkat? There’s so many things now!” Her tone was light, but another drop fell from her chin. “The Cotton Candy was good! Don’t you think?” there was a little wet stain on the skirt of her pajama’s. “Move already…” The pinwheels spun in the unfelt and silent wind. “Move…please…” The flags fluttered. “Wake up…” The shadows danced.

With that, Jade began to cry again, surrounded, by toys, flowers, confetti, balloons, candy, ribbons, flags, pinwheels and in the center of it all, a grub that was very still and quiet.


End file.
